A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet

Guest Author & A Giveaway: Day Leclaire

You guys!!! If you don’t know who Day Leclaire is, you really should. She’s a wonderful author. Writes for Harlequin Desire. (And if you’ve never read one of her books you really should give them a try.)

1. What’s the first thing you learned how to cook? What’s your favorite thing to cook? Do you have a “signature dish”?
Cook?!? I’m supposed to write and cook? Listen, if I could have my kitchen surgically removed from my house, I would. I do not find cooking relaxing. I find eating relaxing, lol. I grew up with two sisters. They cook. I was assigned to KP after A) burning more meals than not; and B) forgetting to pull something out of the freezer for dinner because I had my nose stuck in a book. As for my “signature dish,” I believe that falls under “take out.” ;)

2. If you have to listen to a song 24/7 for four days, which one would you choose?
Adam Lambert singing Mad World. Still gives me chills, even 2 years later. A close second would be Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s amazing rendition of Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World. I could listen to that one all day, every day.

3. What two movies from different genres would you most like to see combined in a mash up?
Star Trek, Voyage Home and Pride and Prejudice, the A&E version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Would love to see Darcy in a deep conversation with Spock, and Kirk trying to put the moves on Lizzy.

4. Which do you prefer – 15 degree weather, or 105 degree weather? What would you do on that day?
The answer’s pretty much the same for both. I’d either curl up by a pool (or even better, in the pool) with my Kindle and a big glass of iced tea. Or I’d curl up in front of a roaring fire with a mug of hot tea and—oh, yeah—my Kindle.

5. How’d you come up with your author name?
I literally plucked it out of thin air. I wanted to use St. Clair, but Sandra Brown had used that name for her Harlequin books. So, I chose Leclaire, instead. And instead of spelling it more normally, I was foolish and went with an alternate spelling. No one spells it correctly. Okay, a few people do, but darn few. Ah, well. I was really young. Lesson learned. But if you’re going to pick a pseudonym, guys, be smart! Learn from Leclaire!

6. What do you think about clowns?
I try not to. Clowns exist. They are, for some, part of the known universe. It’s a part of the universe I’d rather not explore. I find them vaguely alarming because they’re so unpredictable and bizarre looking. And then, of course, there’s Stephen King (thanks a lot, bud!). Can’t look at a clown without thinking of the book, It. <shudder> (I’m so with you!)

7. What author promo has been most effective for you?
I can’t answer that, yet. I haven’t done a lot of author promo. So far, I’d have to say my website and Facebook. I tend to connect most through those two venues. But I’m still experimenting. I have a Twitter account, but haven’t gotten comfortable using it, yet.

8. Do you eat marshmallows straight out of the bag, hold them at the edge of the fire till they’re lightly golden brown, or torch ‘em till they’re black and crackly on the outside?
Okay, embarrassing admission. I don’t like marshmallows. Never liked smores. Don’t like Rice Krispie squares. They’re too sweet and slick. :(

9. What’s the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you at school? And what about at a conference?
At school? I guess when I had the flu, but had to give an oral report, got drunk on Nyquil and kept calling militia “mill-a-tah.” I think the swaying and giggling didn’t help, either. At a conference…? Oh, lord! Yeah, that was nasty bad. It involved Catherine Coulter, of all people. I was scheduled to moderate her workshop. I’d been given the wrong time by the conference chair, never double-checked it, and showed up late. Not only that, but I gave Catherine the wrong time, too. But she did check and showed up on time. Unfortunately, she’d scheduled her flight out of St. Louis based on my timeline which meant that about the time I wandered in, she was wrapping up and needed to run—halfway through her talk. Yeah, that didn’t go down well. I learned a really valuable lesson. Always double check everything. And don’t screw with Catherine Coulter. ;)

10. As a child which character/book(s) would you most want to be [or be in] a Laura Ingalls Wilder book, Madeline L’Engle, Lloyd Alexander, L.M. Montgomery, or Gail Carson Levine? (Or another one? Perhaps Nancy Drew, etc.)
Hands down, Madeline L’Engle. A Wrinkle in Time is my all-time favorite YA Fantasy. To this day I reread that book on a regular basis. YA Fantasy is my first love. The romance genre comes in a close second.

11. What would you put in your ideal candy bar?
Basically, everything that’s in a Snicker bar, only with pecans, rich dark chocolate, and caramel.

12. What tv show do you wish was still on the air?
Star Trek. Star Trek. And more Star Trek. Did I mention, Star Trek?

13. What is your secret plan for world domination?
Create the perfect world within my books and convince everyone to go there. Once I have everyone transferred over, I will have total control. I can write everyone’s story so they all end happily-ever-after.

14. If you were to become a spammer, what product would you peddle? And what would your message be? Come up with the most attention getting, creative, crazy thing. Yes, that’s a challenge.
Fairies. Your own personal fairy. You can have a good luck fairy, a fairy godmother (aka shoe fairy—a very popular selection), a fairy that will bring you the man of your dreams (sorry, selection arrives as-is, no returns accepted), a money fairy (aka Midas fairy—touch at your own risk), a genie fairy (three wishes only, some restrictions apply, please read the accompanying brochure for full details), a dragon fairy (caution recommended, not compatible with combustibles of any kind), and our most popular fairy, the house fairy, perfect for those who need assistance with all those pesky household chores, everything from cooking to ironing to cleaning. Particularly adept at ridding your home of dust bunnies. Don’t wait to order, quantities are limited. (I’m sold! Sign me up!)

15. What was your worst traveling mishap ever? Or most constant one? (Did your luggage get stolen by a monkey? Is the flight canceled every time as soon as your ride drives away from the airport?)
The flight was delayed, so they handed out drinks. I had a flight attendant bring me a cup of boiling hot tea right before we were cleared for takeoff. I don’t know what she was thinking. It was a rough takeoff, the tea went right in my lap and scalded me. I mean serious burns. I’m one of those crazed women who has the kitchen sink in her purse. I actually had some Neosporin on me and was able to apply it fairly quickly so it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it could have been. This was before the infamous McDonald’s incident. But man, that was a miserable flight. The other “worst ever” flight was when we ended up sitting on the runway for SEVEN hours on a trip to Hawaii and running out of diapers for my 1 year old. Yeah, that was a joy all around.

16. Walk in pantry, walk in closet, or extra garage space?
Closet, of course! You can never have too much shoe space.

17. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned while writing/researching a book?
Shh. Don’t tell anyone, but dragons are real!

18. What five deceased authors would you invite to a dinner party? Douglas Adams, Charles Dickens, Tolkien, Mark Twain, Jules Verne, and I’d sneak Jane Austin in to balance out all the men. What I wouldn’t give to hear those guys go at it!

Day’s June Harlequin Desire is A Very Private Merger. Winner-take-all business tycoon Jack Sinclair is on the hunt to get what’s his: a slice of competing shipping empire The Kincaid Group. As the illegitimate and ignored heir, his reward has been a long time coming. And he has sexy, brilliant Nikki Thomas by his side to help make it happen. Right? Not exactly. Nikki is a corporate investigator on the Kincaids’ payroll, so her loyalty is more than a little divided. Her hidden agenda is enough to make Jack want to walk away. But passion offers a second chance–until another truth is revealed that could tear them apart for good. There are five mini-stories leading up to the book, all of which are available for free on her website. And in December, look for Day to continue her Dante series with Becoming Dante. Drop by Day’s website at: www.DayLeclaire.com for more details or you can send day an email at: Day@DayLeclaire.com.

Ms. Leclaire is giving away a copy of her newest book A Very Private Merger to one lucky commenter. So what’d you think? Any questions or comments? I think it’s clear that anything goes. ;D

Thanks so much, Jane! Please be sure you don’t miss the mini-stories at the end of each book. If for some reason you can’t find them, they’re posted on my website and chronicle the romance leading up to my book.

Hey, Mary! TWENTY THREE DOZEN?!? Okay, if I weren’t sitting down, I’d fall down. Maybe I’ll just fall off my chair, lol. Well, more power to you. I find that simply amazing.

Yeah, Lime sort of lobbed a “no win” question in there with the 115/-5. Doesn’t really matter. I’d still be reading (or writing), lol.

As for ST… Hmm. I really love the original cast, if they could be made magically young and alive again. I felt the vision Roddenberry gave us of our future was brilliant and hopeful. I love the intent and the way the very first Star Trek presented it. That said, TNG was my favorite. I adored Data and Jean-Luc and Worf, and well, all of them. And I have to admit, I think the recent movie update was brilliant. Can’t wait to see the next movie.

I love your books, and am looking forward to reading A Very Private Merger. How embarrassing to mess up Catherine Coulter’s schedule. Hope she forgave you for it and that you are both friends. I can identify with the hot liquids at the airport. I got some hot coffee for my DH and me, and I ended up squeezing mine, the lid popped off, and it spilled all over the front of me down to my stomach. Talk about bad burns. I didn’t find out how bad it was until we got home though.

As for Catherine, I sometimes think that life lessons that are so huge for us–that change the way we behave from that point forward, aren’t always a big deal for the other person. It’s annoying at the time, but they move on and it becomes a distant “oh, yeah” sort of memory. For us, it’s one of those key moments where we tell ourselves “never again.”

Professionalism is important to me and I do not like making a mistake. Good combination when it comes to work, but you do tend to be tough on yourself as a result, lol.

hi ms. leclaire and limecello. I jave a confession to make. You are on of the very first authors of mills and boon whose books I r3ead when i was 16 years old. At that time i was enthralled by your quirky, witty and funny style in the book called 24 hour bride which i shamelessly nicked for a month from my auntie’s library for a month :). My question is will you write more books which connected with funny thing about technology like the twenty four hour bride? tHX:)

Hi, Aretha! Thanks for joining us. Starting this fall I will be writing some digital-only books, some of which will be connected to these older stories. I don’t know if I’ll use GEM the computer in any of them, but it’s a possibility. I will be posting news about these books on my website, Facebook and Twitter. So stay tuned! Thanks so much for asking!

I actually have a funny story about the name Leclaire. I had a woman write me, who’s maiden name is Leclaire. She said she’d always considered Leclaires to be above reproach and I’d “sullied” the name by having my characters French kiss. (I think she was oblivious to the irony of that comment, lol.)

I also found it amusing, considering the very *least* my characters do is French kiss, but I guess the love scenes were acceptable, just the French kissing was inappropriate. I think she called it “exchanging spit.” Anyway, I reassured by saying Leclaire was just a pseudonym, so she could still consider the Leclaire name unsullied.

Really wild the emails you get from readers. [NOTE TO LIME: That might make a good interview question–what’s the oddest email you’ve ever gotten from a reader?]

That is an AWESOME idea for a question, thanks Day! A few years ago I actually ran a contest, for readers to make up the most insane O_O “fan letter” possible. Got some great entries … I should totally bring that back!

Sorry for the delay, I had company this weekend and it was my husband’s birthday, so I’m just now getting online to catch up!

So sorry you haven’t been reading genre books recently, but I totally understand. The good news is that I’ll be moving on to write longer romances for the digital market. So, I hope you’ll follow me there!

Thank you so very much for having me, Lime. As I mentioned to Eli, I’ve been busy this weekend and am just getting back online right now.

Yes, you did read correctly. I will be writing books for the digital market (exclusively beginning in 2013). In addition to my June book, I’ll have my 9th Dante book out through Harlequin Desire (Becoming Dante) in December 2012. In addition, I’ll be writing 2 anthologies that will catch readers up with the latest events in the lives of the first 8 Dante couples. Those two will be digital-only.

Then the 10th Dante book will be out early in 2013. That one will be digital only, as well.

Finally, I’ve always loved Fantasy and I’d love to create a Fantasy romance series in addition to my romances. So, stay tuned for further announcements on that front!

Again, it’s been such a pleasure to visit. Thank you so much for inviting me.

I hope your visitors will drop by my website (www.DayLeclaire.com) for the latest news, or email me with any questions they might have. Day@DayLeclaire.com!